Which type of bird do you own?

There are over 9,000 species of living birds, with a great diversity of size, form, colour, and behaviour.

There are over 9,000 species of living birds, with a great diversity of size, form, colour, and behaviour. But their basic structure is so very similar that these show no more differences than there are within the 90 species of known primates. Birds are classified mainly by their external form, although DNA structure and biochemical methods have recently been employed to reassess certain relationships. There are 27 living orders, and 2 recently extinct orders of birds, but the groupings of these into subclasses is a matter of some dispute. One of the greatest difficulties in the classification of birds, is that their structure is very uniform. There are many different types of birds that you can keep as pets such as parrots, love birds, pigeons, doves, canaries etc.

Canary

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Origin: Canary Islands
Genus: Serinus
Life Span: Maximum 20years
Foods: Canary seed and green vegetables such as spinach. For most kinds of canaries, color-feeding (feeding food with dyes to improve plumage) is recommended.

Canaries are small, lively birds mainly with yellow plumage, known for their sweet and sparkling harmonies. There are many color variations of the small, active Canary. They were originally introduced to European bird fanciers in the 1500s by the Spaniards who discovered them in the Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa. Canaries measure 5" from head to tip of the tail. Canaries generally don't like to be handled although there are a few rare cases. They are better as pets to be watched as opposed to being held. Canaries don't require companionship of their own kind, as long as their human companion talks with them. The beautiful song of the male bird makes the canary an entertaining pet.

Some examples of canaries are:

Roller Canary- The common yellow colored canary that is considered to be the best singer. The Roller Canary is particularly adept with a three-octave range.

Red Factor- A brilliant red colored canary, which was bred with another type of finch (any small seed eating song bird) to introduce a red color factor into the canary's genetic structure. Requires feeding a special diet to keep the intense coloring.

Crested Canary- One of the oldest breeds, with a unique crest or tuft of feathers at the crown of the head.

Border Canary- Yellow with variegated patches of white, green, or brown color bordering the wings.

Parrots

Parrots are mainly tropical birds of the order Psitttaciformes, with a short hooked bill and strong grasping feet with two toes in front and two toes behind, which aid in grasping food and climbing. There are more than 300 species of parrots, often having vivid colourful plumage. They move around in flocks, within which they are commonly seen in pairs. Nearly all parrot species are monogamous, commonly mating for years and sometimes for life. Owing a parrot as a pet is entertaining as most of them are able to mimic the human voice. They make affectionate pets, but some species are more prone to bonding to just one person.

African Greys:

Origin: Central and West Africa
Genus : Psittacus erithacus
Cage size: 32 inches wide, 24 inches deep, 30 inches high, minimum
Weight : Between 300-400gms
Foods: Quality Parrot mix with pellets, fruit and green vegetables
Life Span: Average 15 years and maximum.
African Grey parrots are stocky, short tailed birds extremely successful as human companions. They are famous for their intelligence and ability to communicate and mimic an extraordinary range of sounds. Needs attention, plucks feathers when neglected. Bites can be extremely painful. Colors are grey and green, accentuated by red, orange, or blue markings. There are two kinds of African greys. The Congo and Timneh Grey. The former has a black beak, grey feathers and a bright red tail and is the larger of the two. Timneh has a horn coloured upper beak, dark grey feathers and a maroon tail. The two share similar temperaments.
 
 

Amazon Parrots

Origin: Central and South America.
Cage size: Cages should have adequate room for play and exercise.
Foods: Grains, parrot mix with pellets, fruits and green vegetables, seeds and large nuts
Life span: 40 to 70 years.  
There are 27 Amazon species, 12 of which are considered threatened with extinction.  Eight of the most popular pet Amazons are among the endangered species. Highly intelligent, quickly tamed and easily adaptable to different environments, they make very good pets. They are very good at talking and imitating sounds. Colour is green, accentuated by red, blue, yellow or grey markings. They are very social birds but can be moody at times. They need mental stimulation and attention. Yellow Fronted, The Blue Fronted, the Double Yellow Head, the Yellow Nape etc are some of the different Amazon species who are better talkers of the lot.